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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-3-20Nantucket Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board Minutes of Meeting held March 20, 2012 Conference Room, 2 Fairgrounds Road Approved: April 17, 2012 Call to Order at 4:35 p.m. Members Present: Bob Rank, Peter Brace. Dr. Peter Boyce, Wendy McCrae, Doug Smith, Bill Blount Members Absent: Michael Glowacki z o Marine Dept: Tara Riley, Dwayne Dougan BOS: Whitey Willauer Others: Matt Herr, Chuck Connor Approval of Agenda: Unanimously approved Approval of Minutes: No official approval needed since there was no quorum for the last meeting. Chairman's Report: z ^' C-) ;;;o ;K rn rn C'> rn_ 3 rn z C7 C--) r m ca 7K Milford meeting Dr. Boyce reported that there were four papers presented at the Milford Aquaculture Seminar, a regional shellfish meeting hosted by the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration at its Milford, Conn. Shellfish lab and hatchery. The four presenters from Nantucket were Dr. Boyce, Val Hall, Helen Chang and Ms. Riley. Marina's service Dr. Boyce reported that Marina Finch's memorial service would be at the Siasconset Casino at 1 p.m. on March 22. Marine Department Report: Commercial season report Ms. Riley reported that she hadn't spoken to Dave Fronzuto that day, so she didn't have the most current bushel coun, but Mr. Dougan said that the count was 17,164 bushels. Other items Ms. Riley reported that Dr. Boyce presented her paper on her scallop larval release program at the Milford meeting and that she'll be presenting the same paper along with what she did in Zanzibar at the Nantucket Historical Association's Food for Thought event on April 19 at noon at the Nantucket Whaling Museum. Ms. Riley also reported that in April and May on Mondays and Fridays there will be two eighth graders from the Nantucket New School working on research projects for their science class. She added that she collected some bay scallop brood stock from Madaket Harbor and will be doing the same thing in Nantucket Harbor soon. She said she plans to release as much scallop larvae in May and June as possible so the young scallops have a longer period to eat and grow toward maturity and Ms. Riley has a better chance of tracking their progress. She added she will continue to do spawns and release larvae throughout July and August as well. Mr. Smith said he knew of a lot of seed in Madaket Harbor and he also noted that there were three or four boats dredging pretty close to the recently closed off area in Nantucket Harbor. Old Business: Nantucket Blue Pages Mr. Brace updated the board on the status of the Nantucket Blue Pages. He reported that while working on the chapters of those who'd already turned their information into him, he's awaiting materials for the other chapters from the rest of the Harbor Plan Implementation Committee, the Nantucket Land Council and the Nantucket New School. Article 68 Workgroup update Lee Saperstein, chairman of the Article 68 Workgroup, gave a brief update on progress of the workgroup and is Best Management Practices document on fertilizer use nearing completion. Mr. Saperstein said that intention of this document is to protect Nantucket's water, salt and fresh. He detailed how the group came to be with Mr. Smith's sponsorship of this article in 2010, the two amendments to this article at that year's Town Meeting and the resulting workgroup formed to write this document. He added that the end result was set of simple rules: provide plants the nutrients up to what they need and no more, provide it when they need it, but not when they don't need it. And they generated three actions. The first is a proposed regulation for the Board of Health for regulation of fertilizer application enforcement of no more than three pounds of fertilizer per thousand square feet per growing season at a rate of half a pound per application with no applications to be closer together than two weeks. This is to give the plants the time to take up the nitrates rather leaching into the groundwater. Do it too much and too quickly and the plants don't absorb it, and the nitrates are lost into the groundwater. So, this translates into six half -pound applications per summer, between April 15 and Oct. 15 because these dates coincide with 55 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, which is the temperature at which turf grows. Mr. Saperstein added that any application should not contain more than a quarter of pound of fast - release fertilizer in it. He acknowledged that there are times during the year that plants grow quickly and could use the rapid- uptake fertilizer. Mr. Saperstein reported no phosphate should be applied unless a soil test of one's property prescribes it. He added that many properties' soils have been altered by the application of sod, which probably changed the levels of phosphate in the soils. Excess phosphate in fresh water produces harmful algae blooms. Mr. Saperstein reported that in support of these regulations, the workgroup's second action is to go to Town Meeting with a homerule petition in attempt to get the state to back the town's law with state authority. Mr. Saperstein said the third action was the production of the Best Management Practices for landscapers. He added that landscapers would be able to take a test through the town that would certify them as qualified fertilizer applicators in the Town of Nantucket and said that Health Inspector Richard Ray is recommending that there be a fertilizer advisory committee to advise the town. Mr. Smith asked Mr. Saperstein how enforcement of this regulation would be handled. Mr. Saperstein said distribution of fliers and three -inch cards handed out at the point of sale so property owners learn how much and when, and how to deal with their lawns during times of drought. Mr. Saperstein confirmed that the fine for non - compliance is $300. He added that he and the workgroup already have the sense that landscaper compliance is going to be fairly high and some even purchase special devices to gauge the brightness of grass to check the amount of fertilizer being used on it. He continued, saying that if the home rule petition succeeds at Town Meeting and is adopted at the state level, it would give the town the power to turn the best management practices into a bylaw. 2 Without voting on it, the board agreed not to call this article at Town Meeting. Ms. McCrae expressed her gratitude for the new positive relationship blossoming between fishermen and landscapers as a result of this process. Mr. Smith offered to take Mr. Saperstein out in his boat to show him how the harbor has lost around 50% of its eelgrass in the last 15 -20 years. Ms. McCrae noted that Mr. Saperstein is a "tremendous asset" to the workgroup. Shellfish Management Plan update Mr. Herr said the SMP is in its final stage of creation and that it's on the town web site so the public can read it and digest it before a SMP committee's public forum scheduled for April 17 tentatively to be held at 4FG at 5:30 p.m. After this meeting, the committee will decide if another public forum is needed and whether all public concerns have been addressed. Whatever suggestions come out of these forums will be used to revise the plan and then the committee will have one more meeting to discuss when to present the finished plan to the BOS, which the committee decided should adopt the SMP. Mr. Herr said the committee hasn't received any input from the public on the SMP yet. He added that once the plan is set in stone, an implementation committee probably comprised of members of the existing SMP committee would be formed. New Business: Moving seed Mr. Herr said the main concerns are where to move the seed from and where it should be moved. Mr. Rank suggested moving seed out of Fourth Bend and possibly from up harbor to an area between Shimmo and First Point to give this seed a chance to grow. Mr. Herr said they would be lucky to get two or three days of solid moving done. Mr. Herr and Mr. Rank agreed that past seed moving efforts that deposited seed into this area paid off with it becoming a productive part of the harbor to scallop. Mr. Smith reiterated that there's two reasons for moving seed: grow out and recruitment. He suggested moving seed into Second Bend because it's become a good, protective area, and this would clean up this area. He added that keeping seed and larvae in the deeper water where there is gyre to keep them in there in makes some sense. Mr. Dougan said he'd heard from fishermen that there was a lot of support for moving seed and he suggested that starting next season, scallopers who want to fish seed -heavy areas should be required to cull off in deeper areas to save time so much of the seed doesn't have to be moved. Mr. Smith said he wants to take Ms. Riley up into the Head of the Harbor to scout along the Wauwinet shoreline up to Haulover Pond because there had been a small southwest blow two weeks prior. Mr. Herr suggested dedicating a seed - moving day to Marina Finch and if they could get 10 people to move seed, it would a huge difference. Mr. Smith asked Mr. Herr what's to become of Ms. Finch's ashes, but Mr. Herr said there's been no word from her family. Mr. Herr said he hoped that some her ashes could go in the harbor. Dr. Boyce asked if Mr. Herr would follow through with the seed moving efforts and Mr. Herr said that he would. Mr. Smith asked Mr. Willauer if the Nantucket Shellfish Association had purchased the previously agreed on 100 fish totes for the seed standing/moving efforts. Mr. Willauer indicated that they had not, but Ms. Riley said she would be speaking with the NSA soon to follow up on this. Mr. Herr asked Mr. Smith if there was any seed on the town side of Pocomo. Mr. Willauer asked where the fish totes would be stored. Ms. Riley said the possibilities included at the 2FG lot, at the lifeguard house at the end of Washington Street near Sayle's Seafood and at the Marine Department. Securing scallop shells from the town Dr. Boyce said HSAB /scallopers would need to work with restaurants and create a workable schedule for pick -up of shellfish shells from them and they'd also need to work with the town to secure a percentage 3 of the scallop shells piled up at Jetties Beach. Mr. Brace asked how, once the shells are acquired, they're dumped into the harbor. Ms. Riley said the shells need to cure for a year before being distributed in the harbors. She added that the guts and meat within the shells need to be removed and the board /scallopers must have a plan that includes curing locations, harbor distribution and volume of shells needed before approaching the town. Mr. Smith said there is space at the landfill for curing. Ms. Riley said she thought this would be a good project for the NSA to tackle. Mr. Willauer said the board only needed to go to the Board of Selectmen for permission. Mr. Brace said going to Town Meeting might expose the proposal to unnecessary opposition. Ms. Riley added that the board would also need a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. She suggested speaking with Kara Buzanoski, the new Department of Public Works Superintendent, to hear her thoughts on this idea and said she'd be happy to call her. Dr. Boyce said the use of the shells to balance the pH of the harbor with an infusion of calcium and as a substrate for the larval attachment would boost awareness of the importance of protecting scallops and enhancing water quality. Mr. Willauer asked what the NSA's role would be. Mr. Brace suggested credibility. Mr. Herr said they might generate an alternative approach such as dumping them on one of the farms' properties. Dr. Boyce suggested that they wait a year on this idea so the SMP can be completed and implementation on it starts up. Mr. Smith suggested exploring how the Vineyard went about this. Recap and Items for Next Meeting: Ms. McCrae said the board should discuss the vacant seat on the board, as Mr. Rank is not running for another term. She also reminded the Board that, because of negative personal comments he had made at a previous meeting, that the Board had voted to require that Mr. Bender submit his comments in writing before being allowed to speak at meetings of the Board. She asked that this action be an agenda item at an upcoming meeting. Mr. Connor said he would stand as a write -in candidate. Mr. Rank said he was too busy right now to serve another term. Dr. Boyce said Mr. Rank would be missed on the board. Ms. McCrae said she didn't want to see HSAB lose its current momentum and have seats remain vacant. The board agreed to support Mr. Connor and write his name in on the ballot. Mr. Brace suggested he use Facebook. Mr. Herr suggested he spend time at the dump entrance with other candidates. Adjournment: 5:50 p.m. Unanimously approved. Next Meetings: April 3 and 17, 2012 Respectfully submitted, Peter B. Brace, Secretary 4